For our final episode of 2016, we’ve devoted an entire extra-length show to counting down our Top 10 Video Games of 2016. In all the time we’ve been covering gaming, we have never seen a year like this, a year with such depth and such breadth that both Sean and I struggled mightily whittling our respective lists down to just 10 titles – and only had four game total crossing over between our lists. We talk about every game on our countdowns in detail, offer some ‘honorable mention’ awards to thos...
Dec 23, 2016•3 hr 41 min•Ep. 38
In our penultimate episode of 2016, Sean and Jonathan talk about several new and recent games in depth, including The Last Guardian, Thumper, and most importantly Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, for which we devote a full spoiler discussion. It makes for a surprisingly nice complement with our main topic this week, which is breaking down Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a movie that does many good and interesting things, but also falls flat in ways Infinite Warfare, which tells a similar story, ins...
Dec 19, 2016•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 37
This week, we talk about a few random topics – Jonathan complains about the packaging for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and extols the wonders of Terrence Malick’s Voyage of Time – and cover some recent pieces of film and gaming news – including the trailer for Spider-Man Homecoming and recent reports about the Nintendo Switch – before diving into our final, full review and analysis of Final Fantasy XV. We talked in spoiler-free terms last week, largely about the open-world portion of the game,...
Dec 12, 2016•3 hr 25 min•Ep. 36
On this week’s show, we dive into a slew of trailers and announcements from two major gaming events of the past week – the Game Awards and the PlayStation Experience – breaking down everything from The Last of Us Part II announcement to the joyous insanity of Hideo Kojima’s latest Death Stranding tease. And after the news, we give our spoiler-free first impressions of one of the year’s biggest releases, Final Fantasy XV. It’s been a long road to finally be playing this game – it was announced, a...
Dec 05, 2016•3 hr 9 min•Ep. 35
We’re back from the Thanksgiving break with an absolutely packed, absurdly long episode in which we review no less than eight – count ‘em, eight – new video games from the past two months. Going back and forth, Sean reviews Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, Dishonored 2, XCOM 2, and Titanfall 2, while Jonathan reviews Pokemon Sun and Moon, Dragon Ball Fusions, and gives more thoughts on Skyrim Special Edition, while both Jonathan and Sean tell more stories from the wonderful world of Hitman. Throw ...
Nov 28, 2016•3 hr 45 min•Ep. 34
We get back into our regular routine with something of a catch-up episode, as Sean talks about finishing the Japanese release of Persona 5, Jonathan offers his thoughts on the recently released Skyrim Special Edition, and we both work our way through a few interesting news items. We review Marvel’s latest film, Doctor Strange, which is, to put it simply, a hell of a thing, and a lot of fun to talk about. And finally, we give our impressions of the sixth and final episode of Hitman Season One, al...
Nov 14, 2016•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 33
Well, here is an episode we never expected to record. But then again, we never expected our country to elect a racist, misogynist, fascist reality TV star as President. The world has been deeply shaken by what happened this week, and while this is not a political or current events podcast – and will not transform into one – Sean and I felt we could not ignore what just happened on our first episode back. So on this week’s episode, we talk about it. We talk about the election, how it makes us fee...
Nov 11, 2016•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 32
What seemed like it would be a slow week seven days ago turned out to be rather crazy, as Rockstar announced Red Dead Redemption 2, tons of intriguing movie trailers and gaming news dropped, and most importantly, Nintendo suddenly unveiled their long-awaited new console, the Nintendo Switch. We spend a lot of time analyzing all of these developments, especially the Switch, easily one of the most intriguing project Nintendo has undertaken in over a decade. What excites us about the new console, a...
Oct 24, 2016•2 hr 48 min•Ep. 31
Shin Godzilla is the first Toho-produced Godzilla film in twelve years, and it’s been one of our most anticipated films of 2016. Now it’s finally here, and we have lots of thoughts on what is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and unique films we’ve seen this or any other year. We review the film in full spoiler terms in the back half of the show, and before that, Jonathan talks more about the surprisingly delightful Paper Mario: Color Splash and the terrific second-season premiere of the CW’s...
Oct 17, 2016•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 30
Before we dive into one of the longest-promised topics in the history of this podcast, we follow up on our cliffhanger from last week, as Sean reveals he’s been playing Persona 5 in Japanese, and shares some (spoiler-free) thoughts on a game we are all very excited for. Meanwhile, Jonathan offers his first impressions of the surprisingly wonderful Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U, and Sean and Jonathan go through some recent movie, gaming, and TV news items. And for our main topic, we fin...
Oct 10, 2016•3 hr 33 min•Ep. 29
This week’s episode begins with a trip to the past, as Jonathan talks about filling some gaps in his Mario knowledge by playing Super Mario Land and Super Mario World. And then, after some brief news items – including reports on Destiny 2, some Nintendo news, and an update on Stardew Valley – Sean and Jonathan dive into a slew of game reviews, from the incredible new racing game Forza Horizon 3, to the recently released fifth episode of Hitman, and finally the extremely discussion-worthy indie g...
Oct 03, 2016•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 28
On this week’s show, Jonathan reviews some recent movies in Oliver Stone’s Snowden and Clint Eastwood’s Sully – both excellent, if very different, takes on modern real-world subjects – while Sean dives into gaming’s past to recount his recent experience playing the Dreamcast classic Shenmue in its original Japanese. Jonathan offers his final, complicated thoughts on ReCore for the Xbox One, as well as an initial impression of the new indie game Virginia (more on that next week!). And finally, af...
Sep 26, 2016•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 27
It’s another grab-bag style week as Sean and Jonathan talk about various bits of media – including Kingsglaive, the Final Fantasy XV tie-in movie, and ReCore, the new exclusive for Xbox One – before diving into some news and analyzing Sony’s recent unveiling of the PlayStation 4 Pro. Did their announcement truly clarify the confusion around this mysterious project, and what does this mean for the future of gaming? And for our final topic, we look back to gaming’s past by offering a retrospective...
Sep 15, 2016•3 hr 8 min•Ep. 26
In one of the grab-baggiest grab-bag episodes we ever done, we recount two weeks of news and experience, starting with the death of Gene Wilder, a beloved actor who has certainly done plenty to shape both of our perceptions of cinema. Jonathan and Sean each talk about some video games they’ve been playing – including _Hitman, Stardew Valley, _and _The Banner Saga _– while Jonathan reviews some recent (and less-recent) movies, including _Don’t Breathe, Southside with You, Hell or High Water, _and...
Sep 06, 2016•3 hr 35 min•Ep. 25
If you’ve listened to us for any length of time, you’ll know that our favorite video game here at the _Weekly Stuff _is _Persona 3. _You’ll also know that, as the four-part anime film adaptation has been coming out in Japan over the past three years, we’ve devoted an entire episode to each new installment – and now, with the fourth and final movie in the series, _Winter of Rebirth, _finally available on home video, it’s time for our final review. We dive in great depth not only into this final f...
Aug 22, 2016•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 24
This week starts with Jonathan talking about his unexpected journey with the now 15-year-old _Final Fantasy X, _and Sean continuing his assassination adventures with _Hitman, _before we dive into some recent news, such as the passing of _Star Wars’ _Kenny Baker and the delay (now confirmed) of _Final Fantasy XV. _Then, for our main topics, we review _Suicide Squad _– or, at least, Jonathan despairs over the movie while Sean remains glad he was never stupid enough to go watch it – and discuss _No...
Aug 16, 2016•3 hr 8 min•Ep. 23
This week is a bit of a grab-bag, as our main topic involves our spoiler-filled review of Jason Bourne – a disappointing and frustrating sequel that is nevertheless interesting to talk about – but we have a solid two hours of other assorted conversations before we reach that point. I talk about a few video games I’ve been playing recently – including I am Setsuna, Stardew Valley, and Abzu – while Sean talks about his experiences with the new episodic Hitman; I review the new Harry Potter story, ...
Aug 04, 2016•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 22
With Jason Bourne, the new entry in the beloved action franchise starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, arriving in theatres this Friday, we thought now the best time to take a look back at the original Jason Bourne trilogy: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. These are some of the best, most innovative, and most influential films of the 2000s, an action trilogy that surpasses just about every other major Hollywood franchise of this era, and which s...
Jul 27, 2016•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 21
In the first of two podcasts this week, we break down a bunch of news out of Comic-Con – including announcements and trailers from Marvel and DC – and Jonathan offers some thoughts on the new _Ghostbusters _movie (it’s great!) and the new PS4 JRPG, _I am Setsuna _(it’s also great!). Then, for our main topic, we review this weekend’s major new release, _Star Trek Beyond, _a strong return to form after the franchise went a little off the rails with _Star Trek Into Darkness. _ Enjoy, and come back ...
Jul 26, 2016•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 20
We’re back with a jam-packed episode, as Sean and I offer some thoughts on recent games like Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or games that are just new to us, like Dishonored, while Jonathan recounts his continued adventures re-watching all of Dragon Ball Z. Later, we try to get our heads around the unprecedented phenomenon that is Pokemon Go, and offer a spoiler-filled review and discussion of Playdead’s outstanding indie game Inside. And finally, with a new Star Trek film upon us and the fr...
Jul 18, 2016•3 hr 3 min•Ep. 19
With six months of 2016 now behind us, it’s a good time to take stock of the year so far – and while it’s been a rough year for humanity in general, it’s been a pretty phenomenal year for video games, and in some ways, we’ve barely even gotten started! What have been our favorite games so far this year? Movies? TV shows? We talk about all of it, and look forward to what we’re most excited for in the back-half of the year. And before the main topic, Jonathan recounts his continued experiences rew...
Jul 16, 2016•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 18
In our 150th episode of the podcast, we take a trip down memory lane to celebrate the 20thanniversary of the Nintendo 64 and the 25th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. The N64 was a formative console for both of us, containing some of the greatest games ever made – but also arriving with some major flaws that would prove a sea change for Nintendo. Breaking down its history and impact makes for a fascinating conversation. Sonic the Hedgehog has perhaps an even more complex and convoluted history...
Jun 27, 2016•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 17
If you’ve listened to The Weekly Stuff for any period of time, you know we – or, at least, Sean – are sort of unhealthily obsessed with E3, and the many strange, overlong, weirdly wonderful press conferences and gaming announcements that come along with it. As we do every single year, we break down all the major conferences in order, from EA to Bethesda to Microsoft to Ubisoft to Sony, and to the Zelda- and Pokemon -themed musings of Nintendo. Which companies put on the best shows? What announce...
Jun 15, 2016•4 hr 24 min•Ep. 16
With E3 and its myriad press conferences right around the corner, we prepare for one of the year’s biggest weeks in game news by recapping what turned out to be a pretty intense week of announcements and leaks in its own right, in which we learned the first details about Watch Dogs 2, were introduced to the next piece of Destiny with the unveiling of Rise of Iron, and most importantly, finally got a North American release date for Persona 5. We cover this and much more, before moving on to a rou...
Jun 11, 2016•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 15
It’s a two-topic episode this week, as after hitting a few quick pieces of news, covering recent shake-ups and kerfuffles related to WB’s troubled DC film slate, and recounting Jonathan’s adventures with a 16-year-old Pokemon game, we offer two in-depth reviews: One for this week’s X-Men Apocalypse – which one of us liked and one of us didn’t – and this month’s new DOOM game, which is an unambiguous treat from top to bottom. Spoilers for both are touched upon, though neither work would be signif...
May 31, 2016•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 14
After taking a week off due to Jonathan being under the weather – and to thus spare our listeners from a podcast filled with wall-to-wall coughing – we are back to discuss a few stray topics, including the Assassin’s Creed movie trailer and Sean’s initial thoughts on the fantastic new Doom game, before jumping into an in-depth review and analysis of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (with lots and lots of spoilers – if you’d like a spoiler-free take, Sean reviewed the game for the site last week ). Eve...
May 23, 2016•3 hr 12 min•Ep. 13
In what is probably the longest episode we’ve ever recorded, we hit on a host of interesting recent topics – such as the open beta for Overwatch, news of Han Solo’s casting in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie, and the newest trailer and Japanese release date for the highly anticipated Persona 5 – before diving into an in-depth review and discussion of Captain America: Civil War. We both agree this is the finest hour of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, but just what makes this movie so...
May 09, 2016•3 hr 49 min•Ep. 12
With big media events like Captain America: Civil War and Uncharted 4 on the immediate horizon, this week is the ‘calm before the storm,’ as we tackle a variety of topics – including Sean’s final thoughts on Dark Souls III and Jonathan’s continuing adventures in the world of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – before diving into a week’s worth of news. A new Call of Duty was announced, we met the new Doctor Who companion, and Nintendo…well, Nintendo is in a strange, sad place, and we have lots to say ...
May 04, 2016•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 11
This week’s episode is something of a grab-bag, as we cover a wide range of topics including Sean’s initial thoughts on Dark Souls 3, Jonathan’s takes on the finales of Better Call Saul and Supergirl, and continuing reports about Sony’s plans for a so-called PlayStation 4.5. Sean shares a ton of stories from his recent trip to New York – including what random people on the street told him about Batman v Superman – and for our main topic, we pay our last respects to the Xbox 360, for which Micros...
Apr 25, 2016•3 hr 12 min•Ep. 10
With Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End just a few weeks away, and proving to be one of the most anticipated games of 2016, we thought now would be a good time to look back on one of PlayStation’s most iconic series, tracing the arc from the first Uncharted game, Drake’s Fortune, almost 10 years ago to where we are now. Naughty Dog’s Uncharted trilogy was a landmark in more ways than we can count, with each of these three games offering an embarrassment of riches, and the trilogy as a whole standing as ...
Apr 18, 2016•2 hr 47 min•Ep. 9
